Pretty solid top ten, if you ask me. Mine will be pretty different, I think, but I like most of these well enough. Landmine Marathon is great - it keeps getting better with every listen. Heliocentric is incredible - and to think I actually didn't like it at all, at first. I think the vocals surprised me in a negative way, but then they grew on me and now I love it. Man's Gin is a true gem. Very addicting sounds right there. I've listened to the new Watain, and it's pretty decent. I've no complaints with it. Same with Atheist, although I definitely don't like it enough to put in in "my five", but that's just me. Finally, that Ludicra album is fucking tits...no doubt. I'm curious to see where it falls on my finalized list - there was actually a plethora of awesome shit this year, despite the weak start (for the longest time, Arsis and High on Fire were the only albums I really liked).

I don't know why I can't seem to get into Alcest, although I admit I haven't tried that hard. Agalloch, same way. I might try again soon - many folks whose opinions I respect have big love for them. Anyway, nice list overall. Lots of stuff on there that I don't expect to see on many other lists, so you go boy.

My listening has been far from comprehensive this year, but I haven't heard much that holds a candle to The Suburbs. It's much more restrained than their previous two albums, which disappointed me at first (and still does a bit), but so much of it is still so fucking good.

The best new release on my list would be He Who Travels Far by Hanggai, and I haven't even heard the whole thing yet -- just their myspace clips -- and it isn't available in the U.S. But what the Pogues did for Irish folk, Hanggai does for traditional Mongolian music. Mongolian folk punk. With Tuvan throat singing. Checkem out: http://www.myspace.com/hanggaiband

The new Iron Maiden just doesn't do it for me at all. Their weakest non-90s album, as far as I'm concerned.

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So well informed I don't know where the truth begins.

1. Landmine Marathon (Toledo, 11/20)
Frontwoman Grace Perry may have eclipsed Neil Fallon and Rob Zombie as my favorite live performer, although I may be biased as I was on the receiving end of most of her good-natured violence.
Highlights: "Exist," "Bile Towers," "Chained by the Same Fate"2. Alcest (Chicago, 4/24)
I still can't believe I saw this band. Neige is one of my biggest musical heroes and he made the first half of 2010 livable through his latest Alcest album and this stunning set.
Highlights: "Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde," "Écailles de Lune - Part 1," "Elevation"3. Clutch (Cincinnati, 12/30)
In preparation for their annual New Year's extravaganza, my favorite live act of all time gave what may have been their best performance I've seen in six gigs, pulling out all the stops and fan favorites for a full house in one of my favorite venues.
Highlights: "(Notes from the Trial of) La Curandera," "Spacegrass," "The Dragonfly"4. Iron Maiden (Cleveland, 7/15)
It was insanely ballsy for Maiden to march out a mostly Reunion Era setlist after 2006's AMOLAD debacle, but give them credit: all of those songs were exciting and fresh to this fan(boy) who had only previously seen them twice on the Somewhere Back in Time tour.
Highlights: "These Colours Don't Run," "Wrathchild," "Blood Brothers"5. Clutch (Toledo, 6/6)
On a mini-tour attached to their Bonnaroo performance, Clutch marched out their first ever acoustic encore, which was a fascinating and, yes, ballsy move on their part. It wasn't always brilliant, but when brilliant moments shined through, it was more evidence to me that Clutch is probably the most creatively vital band on the planet. The non-acoustic portions of the set, of course, rocked.
Highlights: "The Soapmakers," "Electric Worry," "The Regulator"6. Coheed and Cambria (Columbus, 8/27)
Relatively small outdoor summer concerts are some of the most fun things on Earth, and Coheed delivered one of the most fun nights of my life in August. The band was just totally on, and their crazy fans were probably the best audience I was a part of this year. I also crowd surfed for the first time in my life, so there's that.
Highlights: "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3," "Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow)," "No World for Tomorrow"7. Slayer (Fort Wayne, 10/14)
I finally got the chance to check one of my few remaining legendary acts off the need-to-see list this year, and they absolutely did not disappoint. They ripped through the Seasons in the Abyss record and a few other "hits" and made even the least enjoyable of those songs rip in a live setting.
Highlights: "War Ensemble," "Skeletons of Society," "Angel of Death"8. Kylesa (Cincinnati, 12/30)
I wasn't a Kylesa fan until last night. I thought their music on record was just okay, and that the two-drummers-and-chick-singer thing was fairly gimmicky. Boy, was I wrong. Amazing set.
Highlights: Not dead sure on the titles of most of their stuff yet, but "Scapegoat" ruled - much, much better than it is on record, at least in my opinion.9. Tegan and Sara (St. Louis, 4/2)
Fuck you, T&S is one of the best indie/pop-rock acts of all time. It isn't hipster; Pitchfork types can't stand them. Anyhow, they played for an incredibly long time at a very cool venue and I just had a generally great time at the show. Second time seeing them and I can guarantee a third.
Highlights: "Where Does the Good Go?," "Hell," "Call It Off"10. Blind Guardian (Chicago, 11/29)
This is almost an honorary spot, because Blind Guardian have their problems as a live act. Hansi doesn't work the stage very well, and he doesn't even attempt some of the higher notes, and the mix was fairly off at times, but hey, I've been waiting to see BG since 2003, and they did a few of my favorite songs ever. When you're in the moment you're not analyzing the performance, and I had a ton of fun even if there's things I would have improved.
Highlights: "Nightfall," "A Voice in the Dark," "And Then There Was Silence"